3 Cardinals Opening Day stars who won’t finish the season in St. Louis

Expectations are lower for the St. Louis Cardinals this season than normal, especially because John Mozeliak said that this team would enter a retool. They didn't do much over the offseason to help them rebuild, but there's no reason to expect that mindset to change anytime soon.

Despite the lower expectations, the Cardinals defeated the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day after an unfortunately timed rain delay. Sonny Gray pitched well, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Arenado went deep, and their bullpen looked mostly sharp.

As nice as it was to see the Cardinals win their season opener, the organization's objectives won't change much based on just one game. There's a good chance that this roster will have a new look by the time this season ends. These three players performed well on Opening Day, but it's tough to envision them sticking around all year.

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3) Phil Maton was signed to be traded

The only player signed to an MLB contract was Phil Maton, who inked a cheap one-year deal late into spring training. Maton makes this bullpen better, but let's be real - a 32-year-old reliever who signs with a team not expecting to compete probably isn't expecting to stick around the entire year.

If Maton performs well, there's every reason to believe he'll be traded by this year's trade deadline, as he was last season when he was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the New York Mets.

Things got off to a good start on that front, as Maton, tasked with protecting a one-run lead against the heart of Minnesota's order, managed to put up a zero in his lone inning of work. Maton proved to be the bridge to Ryan Helsley that the Cardinals were hoping he'd be, and the star closer wound up shutting the door. Maton doing this consistently will only improve the team's deadline return.

2) The Cardinals ought to get something for Ryan Helsley while they can

Ryan Helsley is one of, if not the best reliever in the game. He's coming off a season in which he won the National League's Reliever of the Year award. His 2025 campaign got off to a good start when he recorded a save by pitching a scoreless ninth inning on Opening Day. He wound up striking three batters in his inning of work.

Helsley locking down a save is nothing new for Cardinals fans, but that same passionate fan base has to wonder how many more saves in a St. Louis uniform the right-hander will convert. This is nothing about how good he is, but it is instead about his contract situation.

Helsley is in his final year of club control, putting the Cardinals in a tricky spot. On one hand, they'd certainly love to keep one of the best closers in the sport around. On the other hand, how likely is it that the Cardinals give him the massive contract he's sure to receive in the offseason? Assuming the Cardinals shy away from paying a star closer massive money when their team has other holes to consider, St. Louis will likely trade him at the deadline, especially if they're out of postseason contention, to avoid risking losing him for nothing in the winter.

Based on what the Miami Marlins were able to receive for Tanner Scott at last year's trade deadline, Cardinals fans should be looking forward to seeing the return Helsley can bring this organization.

1) Eventually, a Nolan Arenado trade will fall into John Mozeliak's lap

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the offseason was that Nolan Arenado was not traded. The Cardinals appeared eager to move on from the third baseman, but interest around the league was minimal, and Arenado had a small list of teams he'd even accept trades to.

While interest was minimal, there's reason to believe that will change if Arenado can have a bounce-back year at the plate. It's safe to say Arenado's season got off on the right foot on Thursday as he hit a key home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving St. Louis some much-needed insurance. Arenado even wound up acknowledging the fans for supporting him by giving them a curtain call.

It was good to see Arenado come through in a big spot, but assuming he continues to play well, the Cardinals will likely end up trading him eventually. They'd love to give their younger players more playing time and clear some money, both of which can be accomplished by trading him.